Doncaster knives man appears in court

A stepdad who wandered the streets armed with two knives after a family bust-up has walked free from court.

Vincent Brolley, aged 45, was furious when he found out his stepdaughter, 27, was in a romance with an older man - and walked out of the house in Large Square, Stainforth, Doncaster, with two kitchen knives tucked in his trousers.

Magistrates were told Brolley would have lost his job as a stores supervisor if he had been jailed.

Prosecutor Rob Coyne said police were sent to Brunswick Square, where Brolley’s friend lived, and found a knife lying near the front door and another in his waistband, which he took from home ‘because it’s a bad area and I might have been assaulted’.

David Lake said his client learned his stepdaughter was involved in a relationship with a man ‘considerably older’ than her and decided the best thing was to leave the house ‘to take himself away from the situation’.

He added: “There is no suggestion he had stormed out of the house and brandished them, or that the knives were used to cause fear.”

Mr Lake said Brolley had been 24 years with the same company and would certainly lose his job if he was given a custodial sentence, which would cause family hardship.

The magistrates told Brolley: “We can’t have people carrying knives around Stainforth. This court will not tolerate knives being carried around.”

He admitted two offences of carrying a blade in a public place and was given 16 weeks’ jail, suspended for a year, with 200 hours’ unpaid community work. He must also pay £85 costs.